Paul Laurence Dunbar High School

African American community leaders petitioned Lynchburg's school board for a new high school to serve black students early in the 1920s. Named for poet Paul Laurence Dunbar, the school opened here in 1923. Shop, home economics, and administration buildings were later constructed. Clarence W. Seay, principal from 1938 to 1968, recruited a dedicated faculty and expanded the curriculum. Counselor Pauline Weeden Maloney guided many graduates to major universities. The school’s cultural, literary, and athletic programs made it a focal point for the African American community. Dunbar became a junior high school in 1970-71, and the original building was demolished in 1979.

Department of Historic Resources, 2015